Stollenwerk Exits Fish

The latest chapter in the Fish saga closes with Mike Stollenwerk leaving the restaurant. Insider broke the news late Monday night, stating that the chef-owner who had spun the seafood restaurant — then at 1708 Lombard — out of the smaller BYOB, Little Fish, back in 2009, gave little explanation other than a desire to spend more time with family, and put the departure behind him. His exit leaves the restaurant in the hands of backer Evan Prochniak. There’s no word yet on how things will play out going forward. No doubt, Stollenwerk and Fish traversed some choppy waters over the past two years.

Several former employees and others with close ties to Fish have told Grub that Stollenwerk’s overly ambitious efforts to build a restaurant empire are the blame for all the upheaval at what’s mostly been regarded as a truly solid endeavor.

That incarnation appeared to go swimmingly until last June when it closed abruptly, and very mysteriously. Then it expanded, and reopened. That was then followed by Rhino Bar moving into Fish’s main space this fall, and it was relegated to a smaller room on the Locust Street side of the corner property. Now a little more than a month later, Stollenwerk is out completely.